The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has instituted a lawsuit against the Federal Government of Nigeria at the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice in Abuja, challenging the government’s alleged failure to account for more than ₦78.8 billion allocated to federal cash-transfer and social protection programmes.
The public-interest suit, filed on Sunday, October 25, 2026, stems directly from financial queries documented in the 2024 Annual Report of the Auditor-General of the Federation, released on August 7, 2026.
In the application, SERAP targets systemic management breakdowns within the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, the National Cash Transfer Office (NCTO), and the National Social Safety Nets Coordinating Office (NASSCO).
The civil society organization argues that the unverified expenditures undermine poverty alleviation initiatives designed to assist over 3.2 million vulnerable households spanning 35 states.
According to details outlined in the court filings, the questioned funds involve several tranches of missing or unvouched disbursements. The Auditor-General’s report flagged approximately ₦33.75 billion transferred to households without adequate records to verify payments or reconcile beneficiary identities.
Furthermore, ₦36.74 billion in disbursements were allegedly executed without mandatory prepayment audits, while another ₦4.61 billion lacked supporting cash vouchers and documentation entirely.
The lawsuit also details smaller, unvouched expenditures, including ₦350.18 million spent on enrollment operations, ₦89.51 million spent on store purchases, and ₦17.42 million issued as unverified advances for diesel fuel.
In a joint statement released on Sunday morning at the group’s legal offices in Abuja, SERAP’s legal team, led by counsel Kolawole Oluwadare and Kehinde Oyewumi, argued that the government’s inaction violates fundamental international human rights frameworks.
”The failure to investigate the ₦78.8 billion cash-transfer scandal, account for the questioned funds, and recover any unlawfully spent amounts violates Nigeria’s obligations to protect the human rights of vulnerable households,” stated Oluwadare.
He added that because cash-transfer schemes are designed to cushion extreme poverty, mismanaging the resources directly impairs citizens’ fundamental rights to social security and an adequate standard of living, including access to basic food, clothing, and housing.
SERAP is seeking several declaratory orders and judicial mandates from the regional court in Abuja. Specifically, the group asks the tribunal to declare the government’s failure to investigate and account for the funds as a breach of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
The suit requests an order compelling the Federal Government, NCTO, and NASSCO to present a comprehensive, verifiable audit of all questioned funds and to initiate prompt recovery procedures for any diverted monies.
Additionally, SERAP is urging the court to mandate independent criminal investigations against responsible officials and to restrain the government from disbursing further social safety net funds until strict auditing safeguards are established.
As of press time on Sunday, the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice had not yet scheduled a hearing date for the suit, and neither the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs nor the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation had issued an official defense statement.
